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What did LWVN do this week? The Pollworkers’ Party and the Supper for Elected Officials

Newton celebrated our Pollworkers on Tuesday, January 21st!

The Newton Election Commission and City Clerk’s office, along with LWVN, thanked our hard-working pollworkers with a supper on Tuesday, January 21st.  LWVN supplied the cakes, paper goods and drinks.  Many thanks to LWVN volunteers Alice Donisi-Feehan, Frieda Dweck, Sue Flicop, Marcia Johnson, and Sharyn Roberts for all their help in providing these items and greeting pollworkers.

City Clerk David Olson noted that there are FOUR elections to come in 2020, starting with the Presidential Primary and Newton City Referendum, both on March 3, followed by the State Primary on September 1 and the Presidential Election on November 3.  If you can be a pollworker on any of these dates, please contact the Newton Election office at elections@newtonma.gov.

 

LWVN Supper for Election Officials on Wednesday, January 22nd

As we’ve done every two years, LWVN provided a light supper for our newly elected officials as well as Election Commission members to celebrate the new session.  Many thanks to Frieda Dweck, Sue Flicop, Marcia Johnson, Andrea Kozinetz, and Sharyn Roberts for their help!  We hosted approximately a dozen City Councilors before their meetings at City Hall, 1 School Committee member, 1 Election Commissioner, Mayor Fuller and several staff members.

The League Presents: Ruthanne Fuller, Mayor of Newton

On December 19th, Mayor Fuller was the League’s guest. for A Look Back….A Look Forward

She has just about finished the first half of her four-year term.  We used this time to reflect on her accomplishments, her learnings, and her priorities going forward.  Her mission is from the NNHS inscription/oath: To Strive in all ways to transmit our city greater, better, more beautiful than it was transmitted to us.

Some highlights from our conversation:

Accomplishments:  Greatest accomplishment was the fulfillment of Full-day Kindergarten; Proactive planning and investment in/for our villages and commercial corridors; The revised and enhanced Inclusionary Zoning ordinance.  New affordable housing is on the horizon with Golda Meir House, Howard Haywood House and much more to come.

Learnings:  The City has great employees. Working together is key…the City Council, School Committee, residents, advocates, our state delegation.  Listening carefully and responding respectfully, as things  take time and can be harder than originally thought.

Priorities:  Making sure Newton is built the way we want…zoning redesign.  Having a new home for our seniors.  Major infrastructure projects are done well and we move forward on climate change actions including an Energy Coach.

Thank you to Mayor Fuller for an interesting and informative conversation.

 

 

 

Adding to Newton’s Affordable Housing Stock

New developments with 21 or more units of housing in Newton will now have to provide more units of permanently affordable “workforce” housing. The definition of “workforce” housing is that it is affordable to households earning greater than 80% and up to 110% of the area median income (AMI). In Newton, ahousehold of four at 80% of the AMI could earn up to $89,000, and at 110%, could earn up to $124,630. The amended Inclusionary Zoning ordinance was drafted by the Newton Planning and Development Department, edited in many meetings by the City Council and passed unanimously by the City Council on Monday night. The amendment still requires that new developments of 7 units or more provide 15% of its units at prices/rents that are affordable to households earning 50% to 80% of the AMI. The new amendment requires an additional 2.5% of the units to be set aside at affordable prices/rents for “workforce” households that earn from 80% to 110% of the AMI.

Beginning in January 2021, all projects with 100 units or more will be required to provide 15% affordable units, and an additional 5% for “workforce” housing, or a total of 20% affordable units altogether. Newton’s housing is pricey and increasingly unaffordable for many households of all types and income levels. The amendment helps provide more options for people of all means to live in our City.

Mayor’s Update July 11, 2019

10¢ Paper Bag Fee Approved

The City Council has unanimously approved an ordinance requiring Newton businesses to charge customers 10 cents for every paper bag the store provides at checkout. Larger stores, those over 3,500 square feet, will be required to implement the fee in six months. Smaller stores will have a year to prepare.  Read more →

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